Exploring the workings of attention through a rediscovery of surroundings, in order to remind us that underneath all the digitial augmentations and data flows in which we are immersed, fixed forms persist.

This episode discusses the drawbacks of the Rajasthan model of social security for gig workers. It dwells on the nature of gig jobs in India, problems with socializing social security in the form of a single fund, the responsibility of the state to offer universal social security to all its citizens, and alternative ways of securing social security for the gig workers.

Developing a theory of differential embeddedness to explain why workers’ orientations toward the risks of gig work vary. This study further argues that because platforms define themselves merely as mediators of exchanges between workers and customers, they systematically expose workers to various forms of customer malfeasance, ranging from fraud and tip baiting to harassment and assault.

This panel discusses rapid developments in internet infrastructures and AI technologies, and speaks to questions around the dynamic possibilities and uncertain pathways these developments present for internet governance, social media platforms, media industries, and digital inclusion.

The applications of AI for military use have led to discussion as to the potential implications of these technologies, with anxiety over its potential to lead to increased oppression. To this end, states met in February 2020 to discuss the responsible use of AI for military purposes, and the US issued a political declaration of principles to guide development. Yet these advances are merely the latest steps in the automation of state violence. The real danger lies not in the capabilities of AI, but in how humans interact with it, and awareness should be raised about the implications of its use.

Investigating digital labor platforms, such as ride-hailing companies and food delivery companies, to explore why these platforms have yet to achieve profitability despite the promise of increased efficiency. This article provides stylized facts on the profitability of the top ten global labor platforms, as well as a descriptive analysis of their cost structures. The modes of production and competition inherent in digital labor platforms contribute to the profitability puzzle by determining how much surplus value can be extracted and how much financial burden is placed on profit generation.

Examining the influence of intellectual property (IP) strategy on the governance of technology-driven global value chains, focusing on the collaboration between Qualcomm and Chinese smartphone manufacturers. The findings suggest that a well-designed IP strategy can enable a platform vendor to transfer knowledge while safeguarding their own IPs, even when IP protection is inadequate or users' technological capabilities are weak. An IP strategy can support the co-evolution of platform vendors and a few selected users, potentially leading to increased learning and innovation in GVCs.

Analyzing the political-economic logic and implications of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the digital transformation of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). BIM has been used by software companies, such as Autodesk, to gain control of construction data, creating a near-monopolistic structure in the global architecture and construction software market. Furthermore, this article explores how BIM's assetization, platformization, and datafication have the potential to stratify the built environment and society.

Exploring how Generation Z faces a new era of digital immiseration, caused by corporate capture of the internet and the manipulation of young people through the screen interface. Martin Heidegger's concept of ‘standing reserve’ and Jacques Ellul's view of humans assimilating to a technological system both offer insight into this current situation of ‘social physics’ which is being used for technocratic control and corporate exploitation.

This article looks at an urban social movement, the 2019-2020 Hong Kong Anti-ELAB protests, as an alternative to traditional smart cities. It shows how the communications system used in the protests enabled coordination while also remaining open to grassroots decision-making, creating an ‘insurgent smart city’ which inverted top-down visions of a total urban information system. This offers a new sociotechnical imaginary of what smart cities could be and suggests an ‘insurgent digital citizenship’ as an alternative to traditional models.